When Seeing Is No Longer Believing

Andy Roddick may have the fastest recorded serve in the world at more than 150 miles per hour, but his arms of steel don't measure up to the bulging biceps he's flexing on the June/July issue of Men's Fitness.

The magazine enhanced his muscles with photo editing -- so much so that Roddick said he stopped in his tracks when he saw the cover while walking through the airport. The tennis star dubbed the hulking masses "22-inch guns" and wrote on his blog, "If you can manage to stop laughing at the cover long enough, check out the article inside."

In an age when Americans' appetite for celebrity snapshots seems insatiable, retouching photographs has become routine. But some say magazines are getting too liberal with their edits, and stars are fighting back.

"It's one thing to airbrush out a few wrinkles, it's another thing to give someone a whole new set of arms," said Variety editor Joe Adalian. "Seeing is no longer believing."

John Long of National Press Photographers Association campaigns against digital photo editing. He believes touched-up photos don't accurately depict their subjects.

"It is destroying the credibility of photojournalism and journalism in general," he said about digital alterations. "It is one lie after another and the public is looking at these lies and losing faith in our industry."

Choosing Natural Over Not

More often than not, celebrities demand airbrushing to achieve the perfect look. But some take offense when their entire image is altered.

Jennifer Aniston boycotted Redbook after she said her head was placed on another woman's body.

Kate Winslet, famous for defending the appearance of full figured women, said she wasn't consulted on the digital changes that slimmed her body on the cover of GQ.

And in 2005, Newsweek sparked a controversy when it gave Martha Stewart a thinner illustrated body.

Some celebrities are bucking the trend of digital touch-ups. Jamie Lee Curtis bared all in a recent More magazine spread that showed her thighs in their true, unvarnished form.
In People's "100 Most Beautiful" issue last month, 10 stars chose to go make-up free.

But for every star willing to smile for the camera without a pat of powder, there are probably 10 who would rather look slimmer and sexier with the help of a photo editor, according to Adalain.

"It could be a little bit of a backlash," he said about celebrities moving away from make-up and touch-ups. "But I think the only celebrities willing to do that are the ones who think they have what it takes. Hollywood is still all about image."